There are hundreds more who cross the border through a ‘shortcut’ – without travel documents – by means of a boat ride across the river that costs 10,000 Vietnamese dong (61 U.S. cents).
From the border crossing it takes only 10 minutes by bus to Nong Khan III hospital on Tan Lang street, near the town centre. People on the bus gossip: “Chinese medicine normally smells of herb, not antibiotic.” Or, “They give intravenous infusions for any kind of sickness.”
At the hospital’s examination room, two-thirds of the patients are Vietnamese. The hospital signs are in Chinese and Vietnamese, although they have many grammatical errors.
Among the patients was Luong Thuy Hang, 31. She just had her sore throat examined and was examining a pack of medicine prescribed to her. Hang had a very bad stomachache and doctors at the Viet-Duc hospital in Hanoi could not cure her. She started treatment at Nong Khan hospital in 2006, and after a 20-day treatment and
taking many types of medication, Hang said she now feels better.
That was why Hang decided to take Tran Thi Hai, her 55-year-old aunt who was also having stomachaches, to the Chinese hospital. Hai has been under treatment for three months and has improved. This particular visit was just a check-up.
Hai spent nearly 600,000 dong (36.6 dollars) during this period, but still finds it a reasonable amount -- and certainly cheaper than going to the Vietnamese capital Hanoi for treatment. It costs at least 350,000 dong (21.35 dollars) to travel to Hanoi, excluding accommodation costs in the city. But one only has to pay a 3,000-dong (18-cent) entry fee before coming here from Lao Cai, then walk 15 minutes to the hospital.
Hang’s relatives, colleagues and neighbours have all crossed the border to come to He Kou for medical treatment.
“Need to go to hospital? Go to Nong Khan,” she pointed out.
Asked why they do not go to the provincial hospital instead, she replied: “We feel more assured (of better medical care) here.”
NO EXTRA CHARGES
“More certain,” “more pleasant,” “worth the money” -- these were the common answers Vietnamese patients gave for why they chose health services in China.
“It’s very convenient for me to stay here because it’s closer to home and my loved ones are able to take care of me,” said Bao, a driver from Lao Cai who is being treated for high blood pressure. “The best thing here is that they don’t ask for extra money. Every service has an invoice, and the staff never takes money from patients.”
Tru San Ly, an interpreter, recalled witnessing a man try to bribe a nurse so his wife could cut the queue for the ultrasound room. The nurse told the man: “Please wait for your turn. Don’t do that, we have salaries.”
Mai Tuyet Lan, a retired teacher who brought her 30-year-old son Nguyen Truong Giang for gallstone surgery, said: “We come here and pay higher fees, but we feel very assured by the staff’s attitude. They are here round the clock. You push a button, and doctors and nurses appear. In fact, seven million dong (427 dollars) for surgery is not too much.” Not just her son but also her grandchildren have come to He Kou for medicaltreatment.
Seventeen-year-old Mai sustained an injury to her spine after falling from the second floor of a building and was rushed to Hospital No 1 in Lao Cai. Doctors advised the family to take her to Hanoi for further treatment, but her father took his colleagues’ advice and brought his daughter to Nong Khan hospital instead. After two months of treatment that cost 28,000 yuan (3,500 dollars), Mai was finally able to go home. Although she initially had trouble walking, she can now ride her bicycle to school.
LOST IN TRANSLATION
But not all stories about Vietnamese going to He Kou for medical treatment are positive. Translating from
Vietnamese to Chinese can be problematic, because many interpreters can speak Vietnamese but cannot read the language.
Le Anh Dai, director of the Binh Minh International Tourism Co, related his own experience of how the language barrier created misunderstanding. He cited the case of his wife, whose name Vu Thi Thuy sounds similar to ‘Ngo Thi Tuyet’ when pronounced in Chinese. Listening to an interpreter, the doctor wrote her name down as ‘Ngo Thi Tuyet’. When her name was called, Thuy walked in, but it was someone else who was actually being asked to come in. She received an intravenous infusion that was meant for someone else, but fortunately Dai found out early enough and there was no serious consequence.
Despite his wife’s experience, Dai has not lost trust in Nong Khan hospital. His son also got well because of the treatment he received in the hospital, he added. “The standards in our hospitals are not bad, but they are not well-organised, forcing Vietnamese patients to seek treatment on the other side of the border.
What a pity,” Dai said.
In recent years, crossing the border to He Kou for medical treatment has become common practice for residents of Lao Cai. Its proximity, the reasonable and transparent prices of treatment, qualified professionals, good health facilities and polite and considerate staff -- who do not take bribes -- are major factors that push them to go to the other side of the border for health services.
FROM FAR AND NEAR
Many other people from the northern provinces such as Phu Tho, Vinh Phuc, Hai Duong, Dien Bien, even Hanoi,
Ho Chi Minh City and Tay Nguyen come to He Kou for health services. Nguyen Lien Minh, an interpreter in Nong
Khan hospital, said majority of their patients come in groups from Phu Tho and Dien Bien.
Vu Thi Nguyen came all the way from Tay Nguyen and stayed with her friend in Bac Ngam, Xuan Quang, Bao Thang
province, which is 40 kilometres from Lao Cai. Together with some friends, she took a bus to the border.
Nguyen, a 35-year-old farmer, has a 14-year-old child and wants to have one more, but has problems getting pregnant.
She spent 10 million dong (610 dollars) at Tu Du Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City for treatment, but this yielded no results. So, she took her friend’s advice to come to He Kou. Nguyen underwent an examination, then had an ultrasound test and received a prescription from the doctor that cost around 96 yuan (12 dollars). The doctor asked her to come back with her husband after one week.
Looking at the 10-month-old baby of her friend Phan Thi Gai, Nguyen is full of hope. Gai also had difficulty
getting pregnant at first. She had gone to a hospital in Lao Cai, but doctors could not find the cause.
After having surgery in He Kou and taking medicine that cost 300,000 dong (18.3 dollars), she got pregnant after one year and gave birth to a baby boy.
Also at the obstetrics department was Tran Thi Le, a Vietnamese merchant who has a shop in He Kou. She was there with her one-day-old infant. She said she only had to pay 100 yuan (12.5 dollars) for delivery, and the room, which is equipped like a hotel room, only costs 30 yuan (3.75 dollars) per day.
VIETNAMESE PATIENTS WELCOME
Other hospitals in He Kou, such as the People’s Hospital and Khang Phuc Private Health Centre, have also opened their doors to Vietnamese patients. But Nong Khan, the only hospital in He Kou with national standards, is still the most popular among Vietnamese, who say it has better facilities, cheaper prices -- and many interpreters.
Dr Chu Quy Luong, the Communist Party secretary who manages the hospital, said Nong Khan was established in 1957 primarily to treat workers from the districts of Hong Ha (where He Kou is located) and Van Son in China’s Yunnan province. But in 2002, the hospital officially began to accept Vietnamese patients. Today, it has more than 200 staff and receives around 100 Vietnamese patients each day, which make up more than 60 percent of the total number of patients.
Chu said patients of all nationalities are welcome at the hospital. To better serve the increasing number of Vietnamese patients, the hospital has hired nine interpreters.
Nong Khan is also upgrading its facilities and structure. A five-storey building is being constructed nearby. “At present, we have 300 beds. Next year when the building is completed, we will have nearly 500 beds, and each day we can receive 500 to 600 patients,” Chu said.
He said Nong Khan hospital will work with Vietnamese authorities to open a 100-bed hospital in Vietnam on a 3.5-hectare land at the Kim Thanh Commercial Centre over in Lao Cai.
Luong Cong Si, director of the Lao Cai Health Service, said the ease by which Vietnamese can seek medical treatment in China is a manifestation of the two countries’ friendship. He said Vietnamese go to their neighbouring country “probably because their level of professionalism is higher than ours and because their attitude toward patients is better. It also has something to do with the people’s mentality of following new trends.”
Still, most hospitals in Lao Cai are full, Si maintained. However, he conceded that the growing number of people going to China for treatment has put some pressure on Lao Cai hospitals to upgrade and improve their services.
The Health Service has invested about 200 million dong (12,200 dollars) annually to invite experts from Hanoi to come to Lao Cai to work and train local doctors. The province is also waiting for government approval for the joint venture with Nong Khan hospital. “It’s worth considering when our patients bring money to another country,” Si said.
A Lao Cai resident, who has brought many relatives to He Kou for medical services, probably summed up the situation best: “We have to admit that in some cases the level of professionalism of Chinese doctors is higher than ours, but even when many cases can be cured by Vietnamese doctors, patients still choose to go
to He Kou. Why? Because over there patients are respected, well taken care of, treated equally and don’t have to worry about having to give bribes. Even if it’s expensive, patients go where they are respected and where people can be trusted, because health and life are precious. Nobody will risk his health just to follow a trend.”